Valved vent



June 9', 1925.

H. E. TUNNELL VALVED V INVENTOR, Harryi. Til/m dz 1 $1 k ATTORNEY.

Patented June 9,1925 .7

PATENT OFFICE.

NITED STATES HARRY E. ,TUNNELL, or NEW ronx; N.'Y., As-smNoE r0 EIEE GUN MANUEAcrunINc coMrANz Ne, on NEW YORK, N. A CORPORATION OF NEW roux.

' VALVED VENT.

' Applieation'flled June 2, 1920. Serial No. 386,119.

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that. I, HARRY E. TUNNELL, a citizen of the United: States,and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented ,certain new and useful Improvements in Yalved Vents, of which the following is a specification. v 7

My invention relates to devices for automatically admitting a-fiuid through aivalved passage when the pressure on one side of the valve is greater than that on the other side, and is particularly designed for allowing atmospheric air to entera receptacle as' the liquid is withdrawn or expelled from such receptacle. The object of myvinvention is to provide a very sensitive and quickly responsive device of this character, which will operate to insure closing of the valve at such times as the amount of liquid in the receptacle remains unchanged; Other features and advantagesof the invention will appear from the'description following hereinafter, and the novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

A typical example of my invention is i1- lustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Fig.1 is an axial section of such improved vent, taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a cross section, on areduced scale, on line 22 of Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the valve member, partly in axial'sec'tion; and F ig.- 5 is a partial bottom view of the device, with the washer omitted.

A may designate the wall of a receptacle, say a fire-extinguisher, the surface of said wall which is shown at the top in Fig. 1 being exposed to the outer air, while the lower surface is the inner surface. This wall is provided with a suitable, preferably screw-threaded opening adapted to receive the improved. valved vent. This opening may also (after removal of said vent by unscrewing it) serve as afillingopening for introducing the liquid into the, receptacle.

The vent device consists of four main parts, viz: the plug or body having a valve seat, the valve, with its carrier, the valveseating spring, and the guide or housing for said valve, carrierand spring.

- The plug or body comprises a head 10, preferably of hexagonal or other suitable ently.

shapefor the application of a'wrench, a

somewhat smaller intermediate portion 11,

preferably cylindrical, and a still smaller tubular. axial portion 12 screw-threaded both internally and externally, and open atthe endfopposite to thehead 10. At the other end offthe tubular portion 12, an annular valve seat orridge 13, preferably V-shaped in axial section, extends within said tubular portion from. the intermediate portion 11 towardthe open or lower end of said tubular portion, said seat being spaced from the mner surface of the portion 12.. Said ridge or valveseat 13 surrounds one end of an f axial opening or passage 14; provided in the intermediate portion 11 and communicating with theoutside. air through one or more radial passagesll', preferably immediately ad acent. to thelower surface of the head 10, and in line with thecorners of the angular head (see Fig. 2), so that the inlets of. the passages 11 willbe protected to a large extent against the entrance of dust, etc., by

the overhanging or coverin arrangement of these corner portions (see ig. 1);. v

, The valve seat 13 is adapted to be engaged by the valve proper 15, which may be a cylindrical piece or disk of cork or other suitable material held by friction or otherwise in a correspondingsocket of the head 16 of the valveca'rrier. A As indicated in Figs. 3 and 4:, the outer surface of this head 16is angular (hexagonal), for a purpose to be stated hereinafter. The axial stem of the valve carrier comprises an upper portion 17 (adjacent to the head 16) and a lower or free end portion 17, preferably of reduced diameter. The portion 1 7 is cylindrical, but the portion 17 increases in diameter gradually so as to exhibit a concave curve 17 (say of'parabolic character).-- in axial section, see Figs. 1 and 4.v The curve 17 may merge with an annular dished depres sion 17* inthe lower face of the head 16.

The outer diameter ofthe head 16 is conof the tubular portion 12, so that an annular space remains between these two parts for the reception of a' portion of the valve casing or guide, as will be set forth pres- The coiled spring 18 which tends to keep the valve 15 against the seat-13 is'ofa uniorm d ameter which is but slightly larger than the small or cylindrical end of the stem portion 17, so as to be in sliding and guiding engagement therewith, but sufliciently larger than the reduced portion 17 to remain out of contact therewith. An important feature, themarked advantage of which will be described below, consists in making the diameter of the coiled spring 18 materially smaller than the diameter of the annular valve seat 13, so that if in Fig. 1 we draw two vertical lines at the left-hand andrighthand ends of the spring coils respectively,

these lines if extended upwardly will bothpass between (and not exteriorly of) the two cross-sectioned portions of the valve seat 13.

The lower end of the coiled spring 18 engages a suitable (say, conical) recess or seat on the inside of the tubular member 19 of the valve housing or guide, at the lower end thereof, said" end having an axial openingv for sliding and guiding engagement ber or annular flange 19 extending out-' wardly, and from the outer edge of said flange another tubular member 19" (of greater diameter than the member 19) extends upwardly, this member having an ex-' ternal screw thread corresponding to the in' ternal screw thread on the tubular portion 12 of the body or plug. 'The inner wall of the tubular member 19" is smooth and cylindrical.(Figs. 1 and 3), and of a diameter but slightly larger than the greatest diameter of the hexagonal head 16 of the valve carrier, so that the corners of said head will be in sliding and guiding'engagement with the inner surface of the tubular member 19", while the other portions of said head will be out of contact with said surface, thus forming a plurality of longitu dinal ducts 20" the aggregate area of which affords an ample passage for the air or other gaseous medium.

The valve housing or guide is screwed into the tubular portion 12 of the body or plug until the spring 18 has been given the desired tension, and then the guide and plug are referably locked to each other to preserve t is adjustment of the 5 ring tension. For instance, solder might e applied to prevent rotation of the valve housing relatively to the-plug, or I may use the following expedient, illustrated by Fig. 5: At

its lower edge, say at three points thereof, the tubular ortion is made thinner or weakened, as in icated at 12' at the top of Fig. 5. It will be understood that originally all three weakened ortions will be as illustrated for said portion 12'. After the guide has been screwed into the plug to the desired extent, pressure is applied to the three weakened portions inwardly (at the same time) to bend them slightly inward, as indicated in exaggerated fashion at 12" for the two weakened portions at the lower part of Fig. 5. This pressure wili deform the inv I,

ternal threads of the tubular portion 12 sufliciently to hold the valve housing or guide a ainst accidental turning relatively to the p ug or body.

The valved vent having been assembled in the manner described above while outside the reservoir, is then applied as a unit to said reservoir by engaging the external thread of the plu portion 12 with the internal thread of t e filling opening in the wall A,- and turning the. body until a tight joint isobtained between the outer surface of the Wall A and the adjacent face of the intermediate portion 11. This face is preferably provided with an annular recess 11" (Figs. 1 and 5) containing a suitable Washer 21.

It lwill be evident that screwing the attachment or vent device into and out of the opening of the wall A will not affect the relative position of the plug and of the valve housing, so that the tension of the spring 18 will remain the same no matter how often the improved valved vent is applied to, and removed from, the reservoir.

Among the advantages distinguishing my invention I wish to cite particularly the efficient seating of the valve 15. This is of great importance when certain fluids are to be retained within. This eflicient' seating is insured partly by the reliable guiding of the valve carrier, obtained at one end by the peripheral engagement of the six corners .of the head 16 with the inner surface of the tubular member 19", and at the other end (at a. considerable axial distance from said peripheral guide) by the substantially central engagement of the very thin stem portion 17 with the wall of the opening at the lower end of the member 19. Another feature which insures the proper straight movement of the valve, and prevents its taking any oblique position such as would cause it to seat imperfectly, resides in the special relation of. the valve seat 13 to the spring 18 and the parts of the carrier engaged by the spring, particularlyat the upper end of the spring. It will be noted, first, that the diameter of the spring is materially smaller than that of the-valve seat, while the seat and spring have the same axis. This arrangement insures the falling of the resultageaction tending to separate the valve from its seat at one side, itbeing noted that the valve and the head of the valvecarrier are of greater diameter than the valve seat." With the proportions explained, however,

the spring pressure will always be exerted within the area surrounded by the valve seat, and therefore there will be no tendency, to'force the valve off its seat at any side. Another important feature is the flaring shape given to the. stem of the valve carrier adjacent to the head 16, as indicatef at 17". If the stem were cylindrical throughout,

and if the lower surface of the head 16 were flat (plane), the upper extremity (the very end) of the spring would be the only portion to find an abutment, and since this would be to one side of the axis, the spring pressure would be somewhat eccentric, tend- 'ing on one hand to distort the spring, and

on the other hand to press the valve against its seat more firmly on one side than on the other. With thefiaring surface 17 however, the upper end of the spring will find a hearing or abutment on said surface, to take up axial thrust, not only at the very extremity of the spring, but practically at every point of the uppermost convolution of the spring, so that the pushof the spring that of the spring 18 (which exerts stem portion 17'.

but a slight pressure), and air will enter the receptacle through the following path: Passages 11 and 14, past the valve seat 13 to the longitudinal channels 20 between the head 16 and the tubular member 19", then to the pasasge 20 around the stem portion 17 17, and into the receptacle through the opening or openings 20. The reductionof the stem at 17 also has the advantage of enlarging the cross section of the air-passage at this point, this construction providing an air-passage exteriorly of the spring along the stem portion 17", 17, and both exteriorly and interiorly of the spring 18 along the When liquid is not being withdrawn or expelled from the receptacle, the spring 18 will keep the valve 15 seated, which is of,

particular importance with volatile liquids, or in cases where the handling of the receptacle is liable to bring the air-vent device lowermost, or at least below the level of the liquid.

By having the lower surface of the head 16 made with a recess (as at 17*) instead of vproviding a" flat surface at this point, I avoid all danger ofthe head16 sticking to the flat upper surface of the member 19" in case these parts should come in contact accidentally, since in that event the contact will practically be a line contact only.

Various modifications may be made without departing from, the nature of my invention'as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. A device of the character described, comprising a body having a passage formed -with an enlargement or chamber of circular cross section, and also havi an annular valve seat projecting into said chamber and spaced from the surrounding wall of the chamber, a housing, havin a portion of larger diameter than said va ve seat, fitted removably into said chamber, a valve carrier having a head, likewise of larger diameter than thevalve seat, guided within and by, said housing and fitted with a valve to engage the said seat, said carrier also having a stem guided by the housing at a distance from the head, and a spring coiled around said stem within the housing and tending to seat the valve, said spring being of smaller diameter than the valve seat.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a body having a passage formed with an enlargement or chamber and also having an annular valve seat pro'ecting into said chamber and s aced from t e surrounding wall of the c amber, a housing separate from said body, having a portion fitted into said chamber exteriorly of the valve seat, a valve carrier havin an angular head] the corners of whic are in guidin engagement with the inner surface of the ousing, said head being of a diameter intermediate between those of the housing and of the valve seat and being fitted with a valve to engage the said seat, said carrier also having a stem guided by the housing at a distance from said] head, and a spring coiled around said stem within thehousing and tending to seat the valve, said spring being of smaller diameter than the valve seat. p

3. A device of the class described, comprising a body having a passage and a valve seat adjacent thereto, a carrier having a head fitted with a valve to engage said seat, and also having a stem provlded, adjacent to said head, with a surface flaring toward the head, and a coiled spring surrounding said stem and tending to seat the valve, -,9 I1'e' terminal coil of said spring being spread by engagement with'said flaring surface of the stem.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a body having a passage and a valve seat adjacent thereto, a carrier having a head fitted with a valve to engage said seat, and also'having a stem provided, adjacent to said head, w1th a surface flaring toward the head, and, at a distance from the head, with a reduced portion, a housing having guiding portions for thecarrier head and for the reduced portion of the stem respectively, and a-coiled spring tending to seat the valve and surrounding both the main portion and; the reduced portion of the carrier stem, one endof the spring engaging said flaring stem portion.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a body having an angular head, an intermediate portion of smaller diam- :eter than the head, and a still more reduced endiportion ada ted for connection with a support, said he y having an axial passage opening toward said end portion, and also having radial ducts communicating with said passage and having their outer ends located adjacent to the overhangingcorners of said angular head, and a valve arranged to control said passage.

6. A device of the-class described, comvalve, one terminal coil of sai prising a body having a tubular portion and a passage communicating with said tubular portion, the latter being screw-threaded, and weakened locally at the threads, a housing screw-threaded into said tubular portion and adapted to be locked thereto by forcing said weakened portions inwardly, and a spring-pressed valve located within said housing and controllin said passage.

7. A device of the class escribed, com prising a body having a valve seat, a valve adapted to engage said seat, a stem for said valve, provided with a surface flaring toward the valve, and] a coiled spring surrounding said stem and tendi to seat the spring being spread by engagement with said flaring surface of the stem.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a body having a valve seat, a valve adapted to engage said seat, a member limiting the opening movement of the said valve, the latter being adapted for line contact with said limiting member, whereby sticking of the valve to the limiting member is prevented, and means tending to close said valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

HARRY E. TUNNELL 

